?????

And you're like well. I'd rather trust myself to the fate of the world than anyone else. And I'd rather not let anyone else suffer the Torment Nexus just because of my own feelings. That seems kinda selfish. Alright sure.

So you enter the Torment Nexus. Each level has you pressing buttons like, [abduct innocent scientists to your vat: chances of humanity's survival increases by 0.005%] [everyone disliked that] [congrats! your moral goodness has decreased!].

The later levels get even worse. [blow up Antarctica: chances of humanity's survival increases by, ummm who knows ????] [total humans negatively affected: ????] [congrats! you're an ecoterrorist!].

Then you reach the final level. It reads: [through this door you'll break the news to your friend that he needs to die.] And you're like, wait he has to die??? I have to tell him?? But that's incredibly fucked up. After I went through the Torment Nexus as well. But it's the last level. So oh well. I can do this I suppose. Rather me than anyone else.

You enter the level and you friend is standing next to a cliff. You go over to him and say, hey this really fucking sucks but I've just learnt you need to jump off the cliff. Then we might be able to save humanity for real though. Maybe billions of people can survive if this works.

They turn off the UV whenever an eridian is inside the dome, and Grace can feel it if he's outside. That's how he has about 5 minutes of a heads-up before Rocky is knocking on his door;

They put light filters on the xenonite suits, meaning Grace can make a thousand different sunglasses jokes whenever Rocky shows up with the smoked up paneled suit;

everyone gets onto eva stratt for the "think about it long time" vs. "you have three hours" thing but

operating on book canon a little bit: if grace couldn't do it-- if he said no*-- the alternative was to scramble and fly in the next most qualified volunteer, who had 0 training, 0 knowledge of astrophage, and was not an astronaut. three hours could have been three hours of training for that replacement. three hours could have been three hours of preparation for grace, if he said yes

eva stratt gave grace three hours. not to decide, necessarily, because the decision was going to be made the way it was no matter what. but three hours to come to terms with it, to grieve, to mentally prepare himself. three hours that could have been spent giving humanity a better chance to survive

she borrowed three hours that she didn't have to give grace space to process. to get himself together and come to her, teary-eyed but resolved, and say yes.

Big fan of high academia Dr Ryland “will call you a staggering waste of carbon” Grace who is a short tempered, egotistical, and kind of a jerk.

Big fan of how Ryland Grace can be both these things but while still having his same fundamental personality as a good person and wet cat.

Big fan of how it’s generally agreed that teaching burned the evil out of him and let his whimsy shine.

warning: blood, and Grace frying the ever-loving heck out of his arm

Simon is not a morning person… (especially after restless, nightmare-filled nights)

so Grace tries to make it a little better. :)

Pt.3 is here! I forgot to draw Grace asking for Simon’s name, but have this lil extra doodle of the aftermath instead :P

Pt.2 of the previous comic, a continuation of their first meeting :3

(Making pt.3 rn 😋😋)